Cable television, satellite television, and other providers of program services typically provide customers with a television receiver that is adapted to receive and output program service content. The television receiver (one example of which is a set-top box) may, from time to time, malfunction or fail due to aging, normal wear and tear, or other causes. These malfunctions or failures may be an inconvenience to customers whose service may be interrupted while the television receiver is being repaired or replaced. In some cases, a customer may program his or her television receiver with recoding timers or certain customizable settings that may be lost when the receiver malfunctions or fails. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a user with a mechanism for anticipating and/or mitigating the effects of receiver failure or malfunction.